Witness Emanuel | Cubs tickets | Clinton, Trump jokes

Since Mayor Rahm Emanuel admitted in a December speech that a code of silence existed in the Police Department, there have been at least four attempts to obtain his testimony as part of civil rights lawsuits alleging police misconduct, DNAinfo reports.

So far, he hasn't had to give evidence, for a variety of reasons. The most inventive argument by city lawyers to prevent his testimony has to be: The mayor is “not a policy maker for the city.”

He's just a humble servant of the City Council?

They might get scalped for their tickets

One day after the Chicago Board of Ethics issued even tighter guidelines on buying precious tickets to sporting events, Ald. Anthony Beale, 9th, played “Go Cubs Go” for the agency's executive director, Steven Berlin, at a City Council committee hearing on the agency's proposed $826,000 budget for 2017, the Chicago Tribune reports.

“We disagree with you, Steve, but I got to do it to you, buddy,” the South Side alderman said.

The baseball team and aldermen had previously thought they had found a way around the original, stricter guidelines by using the giant video scoreboard to acknowledge public officials' attendance. That turned out to avoid the predictable crowd reaction.

But the agency quickly closed that loophole, revising its guidance to make clear that officials must perform some public duty at the event, such as throwing a pitch.

A team spokesman declined comment, saying, “This is a city issue.”

About clout.

Did Menards lobby for this one?

There are plenty of horror stories about home remodeling projects, and City Hall doesn't want to part of the next one, Crain's Greg Hinz reports.

Emanuel announced that permit applications for routine home renovation jobs will take no longer than 30 days to process.

Is the Department of Buildings adding staff?

No.

Lengthening the hours of the homeowner's assistance office of City Hall?

No.

Instead, straightforward residential applications will go to the front of the line, ahead of other applications.

Is Tom Ricketts thinking: That's a lot quicker treatment than I got on Wrigley Field?

You may reproach the bench

The attorney who allegedly ruled on traffic cases while impersonating a Cook County judge has been indicted, her lawyer said at an unusual news conference held before prosecutors announced any charges, the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

Rhonda Crawford's defense? She blamed Judge Valerie E. Turner.

“And at the urging of a respected judge, I put on her robe, and I sat in her chair,” Crawford said. “The judge stood over me the entire time, while she decided the last three cases on her court call.”

Turner sits in the south suburban Markham courthouse, where Crawford was a law clerk until she was fired. Crawford is running for judge on Nov. 8, but the Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission is seeking to block her from taking office.

The ARDC alleges that Turner introduced Crawford to the Dolton village prosecutor by asking: “Have you met Judge Crawford?”

He hadn't. He still hasn't. And maybe he never will.

Enough of this rigged-amarole

The State Board of Elections said that “in response to inquiries from voters, the news media and public interest groups,” it was issuing a press release “to assure voters that the allegations of a 'rigged' election are completely unfounded,” Rich Miller of Capitol Fax reports.

The board “states the obvious to the clueless,” Miller quips.

The Associated Press has a story with questions and answers about election fraud and this summer's cyberattack on the Illinois and Arizona voter databases. Vote fraud in Illinois has been the subject of jokes for years, such as this one:

Q: How do we know Elvis is really dead?

A: Because he's registered to vote in Chicago.

But some people must be wondering: What the Russians don't hack, will the Democrats steal?

Tear-down company builds up suburban mayor

A demolition company that has often been hired by the village of Rosemont has contributed more than $80,000 to Bradley Stephens since he became mayor of the northwest suburb in 2007, the Daily Herald reports.

Rosemont generally does not conduct competitive bidding. Elgin-based Omega's most recent contract, for nearly $213,000, was in 2014, but Stephens said there is “not much more here to demolish.” The firm also gave about $82,000 from 1999 through 2007 to Stephens' political fund while he was a member of the village board.

As secretary of state, Hillary Clinton famously praised the Trans-Pacific Partnership as the “gold standard,” but in October 2015, her campaign advisers were divided about the potential fallout from opposing the trade agreement, the Wall Street Journal reports, citing emails from—where else?—WikiLeaks.

“I think opposing that would be a huge flip-flop,” Ron Klain said in an email. He wasn't quoting Bernie Sanders.

During the third presidential debate, the Democratic nominee said: “I'm against it now. I'll be against it after the election. I'll be against it when I'm president.”

But flip-flops, like lightning, have been known to strike twice.

This time they did shake hands

Clinton and Donald Trump appeared at the usually light-hearted Al Smith charity dinner in New York, seated on either side of Cardinal Timothy Dolan, who joked that his chair was “the iciest place on the planet,” Associated Press reports.

Alfred E. Smith IV, the great-grandson of the New York governor, said: “Before the dinner started, Trump went to Hillary and asked, 'How are you?'” Smith paused. “She said, 'I'm fine—now get out of the ladies' dressing room.'”

The Republican presidential nominee joked about media bias.

“You want the proof? Michelle Obama gives a speech, and everyone loves it,” he said. “My wife, Melania, gives the exact same speech and people get on her case.”

But about halfway through his remarks broke with tradition with attacks and grievances that drew some boos.

Clinton wondered what a White House reunion of former presidents would be like under Trump. “How is Barack going to get past the Muslim ban?” she asked.

But she also thanked Trump for sending a car to take her to the dinner. “Actually, it was a hearse,” she said.